"Happiness is not an app you can download on your mobile phone", Pope Francis tells Teens
 Happiness is not an app you can download on your mobile phone, Pope Francis told thousands of teenagers recently at a mass to mark a weekend dedicated to youth...READ MORE Learn more »

Whether you're on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Whatsapp or Twitter, the way you communicate with friends today is changing.

Keeping in touch is no longer about face to face, but instead screen to screen, highlighted by the fact that more than 1 billion people are using Facebook every day.

Social media has become second nature -- but what impact is this having on our brain?

In a recent study, researchers at the UCLA brain mapping center used an fMRI scanner to image the brains of 32 teenagers as they used a bespoke social media app resembling Instagram. By watching the activity inside different regions of the brain as the teens used the app, the team found certain regions became activated by "likes", with the brain's reward center becoming especially active.

"When teens learn that their own pictures have supposedly received a lot of likes, they show significantly greater activation in parts of the brain's reward circuitry," says lead author Lauren Sherman. "This is the same group of regions responding when we see pictures of a person we love or when we win money."

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In my secondary school days, I was opportune to have listened to a conversation between my parents. Mum used to be a member of a meeting tagged Youth. The meeting ought to be for the youths as I was made to understand by them, but the reverse was the case. The following conversation ensued between them:

MUM: I can’t continue with this so called youth meeting any longer.
DAD: I believe you are joking, sweetheart.
MUM: No, I am not.
DAD: Why do you choose to quit at this moment after many years of being a member.
MUM: My eyes has been opened to reality and truth; the youth members (as they were referred to) that were supposed to be vibrant youths of the community are not, but instead, majority (70-80%) of the members have exceeded their youthful age, and still claim to be youths.

She continued;
The unpleasant aspect of it is that, they always appear to know it all and too rigid to welcome suggestions. I believe the purpose of the meeting has been compromised and I see no reason to continue with them.

DAD: Now I understand the reasons behind your quitting.
MUM: Of course, quitting really worth it.

Mum was not just concerned about the age but the youthfulness, ideas and suggestions of these few vibrant members of the community. And the prime of her plight for quitting remains in her strong belief in the youth.

Recently, I carried out a survey on friends about, “who a youth is”, and “the criteria on which their opinion was based on”. This survey was carried out on 50 students from different Department and Faculty of Eastern Mediterranean University, North Cyprus. I was privileged to have listened to people’s opinion on this subject. It was indeed a great and interesting voyage.

Sequel to that, I had to write this for Scanty Gela BLOG; to let the youth know that the society is not just in need of youths, but desperately in need of COMPLETE YOUTHS. Just as we have a youth, so we have a complete youth.

- What signal does your mind interpret at the mention of the word YOUTH?
- Which picture do you see at the mention of such word?
- To what extent does that word strike your consciousness and imagination?

From the interview, it was discovered that in all they said, two parameters was never missing. And these parameters constitute the complete youth vis-a-vis its functionality and impact. They are:

—AGE
—MIND

A complete youth, is an individual who is young in age (18-40years) and mind, and is able to effectively and productively harness both qualities towards the betterment of the society. It is a stage of life and a state of mind. The mindset of such individual has been trained to such an extent that, age is no longer a limiting factor. Just as many would say, am too young allow societal problems irk my life and others enjoy your life when you are young to tell the “big story" when you are old.

- What does life really mean to you as a youth?
- Are you among those satisfied following the crowed?
- Do you see life as though nothing exist?
- Or do you still believe in following the crowd with no vision? Think about it.

There is no better time to begin to change your orientation about life than now. It is time to begin to see the stars in you when others are busy with affairs of the world that amounts to nothing. No special qualification is needed to put your mind to work. You don’t need someone to press the start button before you begin to move in the direction of change. You are the change, and the change we have been waiting for, and the change we need. I have heard some adults say am still a youth because am still youthful. Yes you are, by virtue of your mind being youthfully active, but not a complete youth. Why because, the age cannot be done without in this context. This was the very reason I opined earlier that, there are youths and there are complete youths.

Let me remind you again that, You are Youthful and Powerful.

QUALITIES OF A COMPLETE YOUTH
Being a complete youth, goes with certain qualities. It is not something you struggle to achieve or attain; it comes as default to every complete youth.
Below are the qualities of a complete youth:

UNIQUENESS
A complete youth is a unique youth. It does not matter the environment he finds himself, his uniqueness always single him out of many. The uniqueness of such a youth is an evidence of a trained mindset and orientation. This can be seen in character, attitude, manner of approach to life's challenges.

CHANGE ORIENTED
We have failed to know that the world will change when we do. A complete youth is never contented with the status quo. He is either making a change, or adding a value to the already existing and this remains the raison d' ètre of every complete youth. He is never satisfied with the way things are in his community, country and the world at large. And he is ready to build a team that share the same vision with him undermining the cost. Above all, he is ready to change himself, to change the society.

CREATIVE
Creativity flows in the blood of such a youth, and it is his nature to venture into the inner most part of his mind in search of ideas that will benefit the world. He finds the greatest joy in this aspect of his life. At this stage of his life, he disports his youthful exuberance.

Segun Oyeyiola, a final year student in Electrical Electronics Department of Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria was able to make a difference by building a wind and solar powered car, partly from free scrap parts donated by friends and family. The difference between you and Segun is that, he used his own creative ability. You too can do better than that.

DREAM AND VISION
A complete youth is full of dreams and vision not just centered on him alone, but the society as well. Sequel to this, his actions and thoughts are based on this and he is ever ready to make it a reality by paying the sacrifice involved. They dream big with no atom of impossibility.

PASSION
Passion without action remains a mere notion. He is not a notion driven youth, but a youth full of passion. He has passion for Change; change for his country, and the society. This burning passion built on desires for a better society is a unique quality of a complete youth.

FULL OF ENERGY AND LIFE
A complete youth is full of energy and life, always excited about life and nature. A complete youth lacks patience with anything that tends to limit his vigor and excitability. Take for instance, in a gathering made up of youths and adults, you will observe that the youth tends to always be on the move as seen in charged molecules in a confined medium. What can keep an adult sited and calm for an hour in most cases cannot do same to the youth.


POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE
A complete youth has this attitude of optimism also know as positive mental attitude. Even in certain circumstances where all hope is geared towards the zero loci, the complete youth still believe that the only thing it deserves is such an attitude, the POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE

DILIGENT
A complete youth is a diligent youth, always ready to work and giving in his best in whatever he finds himself doing. He is never ready to settle for the less either consciously or unconsciously; an indefatigable zealot. To every complete youth, the shortest route to success is diligence. You too can work out your success if you become an ardent disciple of diligence.

FOCUSED
A complete youth is a youth with focus. He has reasons for all he does, he has been able to curb his distractions to one thing; his desires for a better society.

GOD HEART
A complete youth is a youth with God heart, spiritually active and loving. He acknowledges God and put Him first in all he does. He is an inspiration to many; his steps, care and humility never ceases to put smile on people’s face.

 *Are you a Complete Youth or Just a Youth?

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Seventy years ago, there was “the greatest generation.” Later, Generation X became known as the slacker generation. Today, millennials are turning out to be the anxious generation.

Numerous recent studies have shown that millennials suffer from anxiety at a much higher rate than generations that preceded them. What’s wrong with kids these days?

A lot, actually. They’re the first generation raised with Internet. The first generation to experience “helicopter” parenting. They’re at once constantly exposed on social media but also permanently sheltered by overbearing parents. They’re not the first generation to experience a rough economy, but they certainly act as if they were.

But the spike in anxiety is a real issue, one that shouldn’t be lumped with their “omg! lol! I can’t even” social ineptitude.

In New York magazine recently, Jean Twenge, a social psychologist at San Diego State University, offered an explanation for why anxiety among young people is at an 80-year high. She cites all the change and upheaval young people today have seen. As marriages happen later or not at all, the family structure is changing dramatically.

But the real change comes in the freedom of movement that has made it easy for people to leave families far behind. Studies have shown that having limited family in close proximity can lead to anxiety and depression.

It makes sense. In 2015, the American Psychological Association’s annual “Stress in America” survey found that people who have close family or friends to turn to in times of crises experienced less stress. Today we instill independence in our kids and tell them to forge their own paths. But we’ve stopped telling them that doing so might be easier if they stay geographically closer to us.

In reality, providing a solid family structure through geographical closeness would go a long way toward minimizing the kind of anxiety 20-somethings are now experiencing. It’s not a crazy idea that if you live near people who love you the most, you’re more likely to be more comfortable and confident, all other things being equal.

The endless choices millennials face have also proven paralyzing. They’re the constantly-swiping-right generation. It’s always on to the next thing. And this is played out in the way they see their geographical options.

Carol Beaton, in Psychology Today, says an abundance of choices is stressing young people out: “Paradoxically, our stress befalls the generation with the most optionality yet,” she says. “This blessing could also be our curse.”

One recent survey found that about half of millennials live away from their hometown. That’s a significant number. A different study found 85 percent of adults 45 and older think it’s very important to live near their kids or grandkids. Boomers have figured out the happiness that comes with living near family.

It’s also worth noting that for a long time the story about millennials was how they were still living with their parents. That might contribute to their decisions to move way out when they do eventually leave the nest. Millennials are also much more likely to rent their homes than buy them, even when owning might be significantly cheaper — another sign of their lack of permanent rooting.

It’s not that having options of where to live is bad, it’s that we underestimate the benefit of a nearby support network when we weigh these options. It’s not a coincidence that a safe, stable life has often included remaining geographically close to family.

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You’ve probably seen it – a teenager rocking to the latest music blasting from headphones while also texting, checking out Facebook and watching TV.

And, supposedly, doing homework.

For those people who date back to pre-handheld-device days and who found it hard enough to concentrate on homework even without digital distractions, the sight of multitasking teens is mind-boggling.

It’s also more prevalent than you might think.

A new report by Common Sense Media, a San Francisco-based non-profit that tracks children and their technology use, finds that teens age 13 to 18 spend almost nine hours a day – that’s longer than they usually sleep – on "entertainment media," which includes things like checking out social media, music, gaming or online videos.

And that’s not including time spent using media for school or homework.

Meanwhile, tweens – those aged 10 to 12 – are not far behind, consuming about six hours of similar content, according to the report released Tuesday.

The study also found that half of teens say they often or sometimes watch TV (51%), use social networking (50%), text (60%) and listen to music (76%) while doing homework. You can bet that those figures include some who do all four at the same time.

"As a parent and educator, there's clearly more work to be done around the issue of multi-tasking," said James Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media. "Nearly two-thirds of teens today tell us they don't think watching TV or texting while doing homework makes any difference to their ability to study and learn, even though there's more and more research to the contrary."

For old-media diehards, it is perhaps surprising that listening to music and TV are still the favorites among teens and tweens, with about two-thirds of teenagers saying they listen to music every day, and 58% reporting daily consumption of TV. By contrast, 45% reported using social media every day and only 36% said they enjoyed that activity "a lot."  Twice as many said they really enjoyed their music.

Television is the favorite activity of preteens, according to the report, with 62% of age 8- to 12-year-olds saying they watched every day.

Boys are much more likely to play video games than girls. The survey found male teenagers spent an average of 56 minutes a day gaming, while girls devoted seven minutes. Girls spent more time on social media or reading than boys.

Ethnicity also plays a role, with black teenagers spending more time with media than other groups – an average of 11 hours and 13 minutes each day. Latino teens spend just over nine hours and white teens spend eight hours, 48 minutes, the study found.

"The census really sheds light on how different media use is for different kids,” said Steyer, “from boys to girls, low-income to more affluent, and kids from all ethnic backgrounds.”

The report is based on interviews with 2,658 young people earlier this year, according to Common Sense Media, with the results having a margin of error of plus or minus just under 2%.

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Frequent social media use could have a negative impact on young people’s mental health, according to a new study.

For many teens, going even an hour without checking Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter is a struggle. Twenty-four percent/24% of teenagers go online “almost constantly,” according to a recent Pew Research Center study.

But more alarming than the time spent are the negative consequences that young people may suffer from due to too much screen-time.

The study, from Ottawa Public Health, suggests that teens who use social media sites for two hours or more daily are at risk for poor mental health, psychological distress and depression, as reported by Huffington Post.

“It could be that teens with mental health problems are seeking out interactions as they are feeling isolated and alone,” Dr. Hugues Sampasa-Kayinga, the study’s lead author, told The Huffington Post in an email. “Or they would like to satisfy unmet needs for face-to-face mental health support.”

Dr. Sampasa-Kayinga notes that the link between social media and mental health issues is complicated, and that simple use of sites like Facebook and Twitter “cannot fully explain by itself the occurrence of mental health problems.”

Researchers are now investigating how this issue might be fixed, and in some cases turning the problem into the solution.

“We see social networking sites, which may be a problem for some, also being a solution,” Dr. Brenda K. Wiederhold of the Interactive Media Institute in San Diego said, as reported by Huffington Post. “Since teens are on the sites, it is the perfect place for public health and service providers to reach out and connect with this vulnerable population and provide health promotion systems and supports.”

Experts also suggest parents pay attention to how much time teens are spending on these sites and its possible link to mental health issues.

The research was published online on July 13 in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. Learn more »

Give us the space, and we will do the rest, continent's dynamic job-creators say.

SAYING Africa was “on the move”, US president Barack Obama at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2015 in Nairobi praised the spirit of entrepreneurship in Africa, as he announced a basket of initiatives to support the effort.

“People are being lifted out of poverty, incomes are up, the middle class is growing and young people like you are harnessing technology to change the way Africa is doing business,” he said in Kenya on Saturday.

Young entrepreneurs are projected to change the continent’s fortunes through new businesses and stimulating economies, as the narrative shifts to trade. Identified as people aged between 18-34, they are seen as Africa’s big hope.

But who are these young African entrepreneurs who are increasingly the rave on the continent? Mail & Guardian Africa looked at some characteristics from the  latest global data on this group:

1: Young people are generally three times more likely than adults to be unemployed, and sub-Saharan Africa currently exhibits the lowest levels of education compared to other regions. But surprisingly, its young people are the most likely to have received some form of business training at school, even if the quality is sometimes inconsistent due to a lack of resources.

2: Youth in sub-Saharan Africa also have the highest levels of perceived entrepreneurial competence, a stark contrast to those in Europe who have the lowest level, despite their higher level of general education. The continent averages a 76% perception that its individuals have the necessary skills.

3: Sub-Saharan Africa’s young people are significantly more, by 1.5 times, to know a start-up entrepreneur than youth in the other four global regions, an important factor for mentoring and networking.

4: Sub-Saharan Africa, together with the Latin American and Caribbean region, has the highest entrepreneurial intention—a plan to start a business within the next three years. In Africa, half of the youth polled in a Global Entrepreneurship Monitor  survey intend to start a business, while less than a fifth of European youth profess the same intention.

5: Sub-Saharan Africa’s young entrepreneurs also have the lowest fear of failure, a major determinant on influencing whether a person starts a business, with only 24.5% of respondents in a 2012  survey of more than 20,000 adults alluding to it as a factor that would put them off.

5: The region however has the highest prevalence of necessity-motivated enterprises, as opposed to being pushed by opportunity, highlighting both the challenge and potential in a continent where economic growth has consistently outpaced global levels, but which has struggled to take everyone up with it.

6: Sub-Saharan Africa also has the highest gap between early-stage entrepreneurs and established businesses, suggesting a focus area for policy makers and mentors, as this means many young businesses do not reach maturity (more than 42 months), and thus don’t create employment.

7: Three in every four people in a survey of seven sub-Saharan Africa believed entrepreneurship was a good career choice, while a high proportion, an average of 80%, of the region also accords high status to those who start businesses. Some 77% also believed there was high media attention to successful entrepreneurs—the highest of all regions—helping reduce the desirability of survivalist-only businesses.

8: The gender gap is however inherent: young African women are doubly disadvantaged—by gender and age, with young men more likely to be motivated by opportunity, more likely to access credit, and more likely to tap the internet to grow. This is fast-changing, as the higher impact of women small business owners is acknowledged, with Obama referring to them as “powerhouse entrepreneurs” and channeling just as much funds to them as to men.

9: African entrepreneurs tend to concentrate mainly in the retail, hotel and restaurant sectors of the economy—more than three in every four tend to start out here, suggesting more potential for the high-growth industries, which depend on technology and knowledge, a growing stronghold in Africa, as alluded to at the GES 2015.

10: Entrepreneurs in Africa are also in the survey widely agreed that there is a lot of scope for increasing access to financing, education and skills training, and helpful government policies that create the space for growth and in research for development. Give us the basic space and tools, and we will do the rest, is the resounding message.

Credit: mgafrica.com Learn more »